The netbook market is booming despite many claims that netbooks are cannibalizing sales of more profitable notebook computers. All the major computer makers including Dell, HP, and Lenovo are offering netbooks with the only major holdout being Apple.

When Dell launched its Inspiron Mini netbook line, the firm started with a 9-inch netbook and then followed the Mini 9 with the larger Mini 12. With these two machines, Dell skirted what many believe to be the netbook sweet spot in the 10-inch size range.

Dell has addressed this hole in their lineup with the official introduction today of the Dell Mini 10. The machine uses a 10.1-inch WSVGA edge-to-edge widescreen display. The keyboard is 92% of full size and the machine weighs 2.86 pounds overall. The touchpad uses multi-touch and supports gestures for easy navigation.

An HDMI output is integrated along with a webcam and Wi-Fi. The base system includes 1GB of RAM and a 160GB HDD. The machine runs on Windows XP and can be had in several colors including blue, green, white, red, pink, and black.

Dell says that the machine will be available to order direct on February 26. QVC is taking pre-orders on a special version of the Mini 10 that will ship for free and include a 4GB SD card now. Later this year Dell says it will offer options for the $399 base machine including Ubuntu and Vista operating systems, WWAN, Bluetooth, internal GPS, integrated TV tuner, HD resolution, 2GB of RAM, 250GB HDD and SSDs.